Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, January 21, 2025
Some birds are more fun than others. Let me clarify. What I mean by that is observing some birds is more enjoyable than seeing others. The reasons for that are varied, but let me suggest just a few: their scarcity, their flamboyant beauty; their unique behavior, and their physical uniqueness. In my book, the Great Curassow falls into both the first and last categories. The large turkey-like bird of the Neotropical rainforests has been classified as “Vulnerable to extinction”. Today they are rarely found except in protected parks or very remote areas. It is the largest of the Cracids, a family that also includes chachalacas and guans.
It’s unique in two ways: its appearance and its behavior around humans. Both the black male and varicolored female come with pronounced crests which in the male is curly. He also has a yellow beak with a knob at the base that increases in size during the breeding season. Their behavior is not particularly unusual, feeding largely on fruit that has fallen on the ground and nesting and roosting in the trees. But contact with humans has altered their behavior. As a result of overhunting and habitat loss, they have become quite shy except where they have become acclimated to the presence of humans. Take it one step further. When kept in captivity they can become quite aggressive toward their human caretakers and have been known to attack them scratching around the head and targeting the eyes.
When one thinks about Bible references dealing with being unique or special, the text that most likely comes to mind is 1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (NIV) Did you notice what isn’t included as a reason for this specialness? It isn’t appearance or our performance. It was simply because He chose us. Why He chose you or me is something of a mystery, but we should be eternally grateful for being included in this special group.